Composition for sealing fruit-cans.



UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

AUGUST PROPFE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMPOSITION FOR SEALING FRUIT-CANS.

I SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 636,922, datedNovember 14, 1899. Application filed September 9, 1899. Serial No.729,948. (No specimens.)

invented a certain new and useful Improved Composition of Matter to beUsed for Sealing Fruit-Cans and Coating Strings, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact descrip-.

tion.

My improved composition for said purposes consists of the followingingredients, viz. i resin, an oily substance, such as tallow or crudeturpentine, the fibrous asbestos wool, and stearic acid. These arecombined in or about the following proportions, viz: eightyfive poundsof resin, preferably of the variety known as N resin, three pounds oftallow or two pounds of crude turpentine, three pounds of asbestos wool,and four and onehalf pounds of stearic acid. These ingredients'areadmixed and combined by melting them in a suitable vessel to which heatis applied in the usual way and thoroughly mixed therein. Preferably theresin is first melted before adding the other ingredients to save loss.The tallow or turpentine is employed for its fatty properties, so thatthe composition when cold, in sticks or as a coating on the strings,will be flexible and not too brittle. Hence if a high grade of resincontaining much turpentine is used the tallow or additional turpentinemay be dispensed with. The stearic acid is preferably in solid or cakeform, in which it is commercially sold.

The composition may be molded in cooling, and thereby formed-into sticksto be used in sealing fruit-cans 5 but the proportions stated above ofsaid ingredients make the resultant composition best adapted to be usedas a coating for strings employed for sealing cans in a manner nowcommonly practiced and as described in United States Patent to Hunsaker,No. 235,879, dated December 28, 1880.

The proportions above stated of my composition maybe varied slightlywithout chang* ing the nature and properties thereof. For

illustration, if a stiffer composition is required to be molded intosticks less stearic acid is employed.

I am aware of the Patent No. 288,525 to Waterous and No 307,746 toOoddin'gton for a sealing composition for like purposes; but mycomposition difiers radically from both in that the distinguishing novelfeature of the former was the inclusion of steatite or soap stone withresin and tallow formerly employed, and the distinguishing and onlynovel feature of the Ooddington composition was asbestos or agatite whenemployed in a finely ground state or cotton or hemp fiber in a likeground state. I employ in my composition the greasy fibrous strands ofasbestos commercially known as asbestos wool, being the strandsseparated from the mineral portion of the asbestos stone or powder, andI employ also stearic acid which is an excellent binder and hasachemical efiect, apparently, on the resin, tallow, and asbestos fiber,particularly the former, which gives a resultant composition havingproperties peculiarly its own and which is well adapted to the coatingof strings for the purpose hereinbefore stated.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. A composition .forsealing fruit-cans and coating strings, composed of resin, an oilysubstance, fibers of asbestos wool, and stearic acid; substantially asdescribed.

2. A composition for sealing fruit-cans and coating strings, composed ofresin containing free turpentine, fibers of asbestos wool, and stearicacid; substantially as described.

3. A composition for coating strings &c. composed of resin, tallow,fibers of asbestos wool separated from the powdered stone, and

stearic acid, admixed in the proportions substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature this 7th dayof September,

AUGUST PROPFE. Witnesses:

ANDREW V. GROUPE, H. T. FENTON.

